Expoforum: St. Petersburg will have a special tourist card

04.02.2011

This card is a single transport document for tourists, which also allows you to pay for guided tours and entrance to state museums, as well as gives discounts for staying at hotels, and when attending commercial, cultural and entertainment centres. The programme begins in March.

According to Fontanka, the Agency for Direct Investments said that the ``Guest Card to St. Petersburg,’’ includes 2 guided tours of the city (a general tour, and a tour on the canals and rivers), as well as free entrance without standing in line for 9 state museums (such as Peter and Paul Fortress, St Isaac’s Cathedral, Russian Museum, and Savior on the Blood). According to Irina Babuk, the general director of the St. Petersburg Agency for Direct Investments, ``Guest Card’’ is a Russian version of such successful programmes in the European Union --- in London, Paris, Berlin, and Stockholm. ``St. Petersburg is the first Russian city to realize such a project,’’ said Irina Babuk. ``This will allow us to improve the city’s positive image as a tourist center, and to make travel here more comfortable for Russian and foreign visitors, and also to include St. Petersburg in the European system of tourist cards.’’

Anatoly Erkulov, general director of ExpoForum said his company is very interested in the appearance of such a card for convention and exhibition travelers. ``It should be a 3 day or 4 day card with the possibility to visit the main museums without waiting in line because business tourists do not have much free time due to their intense work schedules. Also, ideally, it’s a good idea to add to this the free use of all city transport,’’ said Erkulov.